MARITAL ARGUMENTS LEAD TO WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEM IN OLDER COUPLES

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Even couples who have been happily married for decades
can suffer negative health effects from the stress of marital arguments,
a new study suggests.
Researchers at Ohio State University found that abrasive arguments between
husbands and wives -- married an average of 42 years -- were linked to a
weakening of certain aspects of their immune responses. In addition, hostile
arguments were associated with an increase in levels of stress hormones.
These changes could possibly make people more susceptible to illness, particularly
infectious diseases and perhaps cancer, according to the researchers.
The results of this research are similar to those found in a study of newlywed
couples, said Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, a professor of psychiatry and psychology
at Ohio State who was involved in both studies. But, in some ways, she believes
the results in these older couples were more surprising.
"You might expect that arguments would have less impact on older couples
because they've gone through these disagreements many times before and have
learned to deal with them. But that's not the case," Kiecolt-Glaser
said.
The results were also significant because the older couples were relatively
happy -- only 13 percent met criteria for marital distress -- and because
they generally showed more positive behavior and less negative behavior
towards each other than did the newlywed couples.
"Despite the advantages these older couples had compared to the newlyweds,
they still showed negative effects related to the amount of hostility in
their disagreements," she said.
Kiecolt-Glaser conducted the research with Ronald Glaser, professor of medical
microbiology and immunology, and William Malarkey, professor of internal
medicine. They are members of Ohio State's new Institute for Behavioral
Medicine Research.
Their findings appear in the current issue of the journal Psychosomatic
Medicine. An earlier report of related work was given in March 1996
at the International Congress of Behavioral Medicine, hosted by the Society
of Behavioral Medicine.
The research involved 31 couples aged 55 to 75. They completed questionnaires
that examined their level of marital satisfaction. They then participated
in an 8-hour testing session at Ohio State's Clinical Research Center. Each
person had an intravenous tube inserted which allowed researchers to take
blood samples at regular intervals during the experiment.
After a brief adjustment period, each couple would begin a discussion about
topics both had identified as causing problems in their marriage. They were
given a half-hour to try to resolve the issues. During that time, researchers
took blood samples which were later tested for indicators of immune function
and changes in hormone levels.
Researchers also videotaped the discussions and later rated the amount of
negative behaviors shown by the couples toward each other.
"We found that the more negative behaviors the couples showed toward
each other, the more their immune measures were weakened," Glaser said.
Couples with weaker immune measures also described their usual marital disagreements
as more negative.
The blood levels of several hormones -- such as cortisol, ACTH, and norepinephrine
-- were also measured during the couples' arguments. "We tested these
hormones, which are released during stress, because they can affect the
immune response," Malarkey said.
The results showed that these hormonal levels varied in women depending
on the amount of negative behavior during the arguments and their overall
marital satisfaction, Malarkey said. However, there was no changes in men's
hormone levels.
"We believe that women show more response in hormone levels because
they are more attuned to negative behaviors in their relationships and are
more sensitive to them," Kiecolt-Glaser said.
While changes in immune response were seen in both newlywed and older couples,
the effects may have greater consequences in older people, according to
the researchers.
Older adults already have a less vigorous immune response than do younger
people, Glaser said. And other studies by the Ohio State researchers show
that chronic stress has more debilitating effects on older people.
"Older adults have greater rates of illness and death due to infectious
diseases compared to younger people," Glaser notes. "Additional
stress, such as from marital arguments, may put them at greater risk."
Other members of the research team were John Cacioppo and Robert MacCallum,
professors; and Mary Snydersmith, graduate student, all in psychology at
Ohio State. The project was supported by the National Institutes of Health
and Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer Center.
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Contact: Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, (614) 293-5120;
Kiecolt-Glaser.1@osu.edu
Ronald Glaser, (614) 292-5526; Glaser.1@osu.edu
William Malarkey, (614) 293-8775
Written by Jeff Grabmeier, (614) 292-8457; Grabmeier.1@osu.edu